Testing is expected to last three months, and customers with "newer" iPhones and Android-powered smartphones can participate

Bank of America is dipping into the mobile payments arena with a new trial taking place in Charlotte, North Carolina. Bank of America is partnering up with Paydiant, a mobile payments startup, to allow customers to pay for everyday items at registers via smartphones.

Initially, the pilot program is being tested out at five merchant locations in Charlotte, North Carolina. Testing is expected to last three months, and customers with iPhones and Android-powered smartphones can participate

“The pilots provide us with the opportunity to explore innovative mobile solutions, engage our customers and utilize their feedback,” said Tara Burke, Bank of America spokeswoman.

Prior to the mobile payments trial, Bank of America was also involved in a near-field communications (NFC) trial. While the bank is still in the midst of testing this technology, it’s looking to other avenues since not all phones have an NFC chip embedded. A notable non-NFC phone is Apple’s latest iPhone 5.

Bank of America is looking to lead the mobile payments revolution, and it looks like mobile is the way to go: Gartner said the market for global mobile payments is expected to surpass $171 billion this year.

I think BoA is moving in the right direction. If I could use my phone for payments rather than pulling out my CC, that's one less thing I'll have to carry with me. In the future, I'd love to just carry my keys and phone, and eliminate my wallet. That would be great.

As far as the "right direction" my issue is where it leads. Is NFC and mobile payments more convenient? Sure it is, but convenience is not king.

Why bother with keys if you have an NFC phone?

In order to go out with just a phone, you've got to tie all of your IDs to that device. Someone with that device IS YOU. They can drive your car without keys. They can pay as you. Get pulled? The phone proves it's you. You'd need all of your IDs tied to the phone. Library card, Concealed carry permit, passport, drivers license, voter ID, SSN, movie rental card, etc. Any one of these not tied in would require a wallet.

Your phone becomes a national ID in electronic form. One single database of information about you.

Second of all, what I say about the ID on the phone is 100% true. So... I don't get what the problem is?

Sure it's convenient. Lots of things are convenient, but very few of those things intrude on our privacy in that way.

A quick look at history proves that too much information in a single entity's hands is a bad thing. Add government and you make it worse because there is no competition or regulation.

I'll take a little inconvenience and maintain some sense of personal privacy, and I think most sane people would. Just because some people are sheep doesn't mean that we are all sheep or all wish to be sheep.

I agree with you to a point, but with one exception. They have been trying to push this for awhile using NFC, and this quote

quote: A notable non-NFC phone is Apple’s latest iPhone 5.

is exactly the reason it takes so much longer.

Whether you like Apple or not, they have a large percentage of the smartphone market and the decisions they make affects everyone. Since they only have one device released a year, the decision to not include NFC in the iPhone 5 guarantees that Apple wont have them for at least another year.

My Galaxy Nexus on the other hand does have NFC, and now Google Wallet can use any credit or debit card (it was limited before). I frequently use it because most (but not all) stores have the technology already installed. If Apple had simply included it with their iPhone 5 it would have been much quicker and easier for everyone. The businesses that don't have the scanners would also be more inclined to have them installed.

Since they didn't though, companies like BOA are wasting resources on projects like this. NFC already exists, and it already works well and has a large infrastructure already installed. Just shows how arrogant a company like Apple can be. Not trying to start another pointless iWar but when you only release one device a year you should include these things.

Also, JackBurton you are completely correct in your assessment of how it makes life easier. I am not sure where Moishe got his/her ideas that it has to replace every card you have. I only carry the removable card holder in my wallet that carries 2 id's, a credit card, a bank card, and my costco card. My phone has another 7 cards (as well as the ones I am already carrying) stored on it, so if I need or want to use one of those other cards I have the option.

I think the logical end is that once you start tying IDs to a device, it makes sense to carry that into all your IDs.

Either way, I said that because he said he wants to leave the house with just his keys and phone. That indicates that you have to make a separate thought process in order to go to the library (for instance) if your library card is not tied in. You'll always be without that ID unless you either remember to carry this one time (annoying) or tie that ID in.

But specifically what he is talking about is his driver's license and credit cards. Those are the worst IDs to lose. That person is you, can drive and get tickets as you and cab purchase things as you.

The tech wouldn't work unless you have strong biometrics embedded into the device.

I'm thinking that once NFCs are common and popular, we are going to hear a lot of stories about NFC theft.

So what happens when you goto fill up your car with gas, or buy some dinner, and find out your phone has run out of battery? No chance i would rely solely on a smart phone as means of payment, i would still take my ard with me in which case i'd just use that, because it's hardly the most time consuming thing to pop it in a slot and press 5 buttons.